Flight delayed
by Lololova
Summary: Prompt: My flight was delayed 3 hours so I was doing what any human does when they're bored. Minding my own business swiping through tinder & the guy behind me goes "ouch hard no for that one?" And I turn around ONLY TO SEE THE MAN I JUST SWIPED NO ON BEHIND ME HAHAHA
1. Chapter 1

_**Prompt**: My flight was delayed 3 hours so I was doing what any human does when they're bored. Minding my own business swiping through tinder & the guy behind me goes "ouch hard no for that one?" And I turn around ONLY TO SEE THE MAN I JUST SWIPED NO ON BEHIND ME HAHAHA_

_**This will be rated T for now but might turn into M when the second chapter is written and published. Just a fair warning for those of you who start and only wants T.** (It might also just simply stay T but for now I have no clue)._

* * *

"Fuck," she muttered under her breath as she witnessed her flight being switched from 'in time' to 'delayed'.

Kate Beckett was on her way back to New York City for a visit to her parents and after the exams she just had she had just wanted the flight to go as planned. She wanted to go _home_. To her mom and dad who had planned on making her favorite dinner and prepared the coziest 'back for the holidays' evening. At least that's what they'd said. With a grunt she slumped down in one of the uncomfortable couches in the airport, figuring there was no use going back to her dorm when the flight was only delayed for thirty minutes. Kate picked up her phone from her pocket and dialed the home number.

"Katie!" Her mother's voice screeched into her ear and she heard her mom covering the phone only to yell to her father. "Jim! It's Katie on the phone!"

Kate would've chuckled at the shenanigans if it weren't for the frustration she felt towards not being able to get home like she'd intended.

"Hi Katie!" Her dad called into the phone and she assumed they'd put it on speaker. "Aren't you supposed to be getting onto your flight right now?"

"Yeah, about that," she groaned. "The flight's delayed."

"Oh no, honey, by how much?" her mom asked and just when she was about to tell them she watched the screen change again.

"Shit," she exclaimed into the phone before she could think.

"Language."

"Sorry mom," she sighed before adding, "The delay just turned from thirty minutes to three hours."

"Oh, then you won't get here until... ten pm," her dad said and she put her head in her hand.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, we'll have to take coming home breakfast instead."

"Oh, don't worry Katie," her mom said. "It's not your fault."

"Still sucks," she mumbled and she heard her parents hum. "Anyway, I'll text you once I get on the plane and call when I land."

"Okay, don't forget to eat something before your flight!"

"And stay away from creepy guys!"

Kate rolled her eyes, "Sure thing. Love you, bye."

"Love you too Katie!" Her parents said simultaneously and she hung up.

Putting down her phone she glanced around her, noticing more people seemed upset while talking on their phones or with each other. At least she wasn't the only one. She spent a few minutes just observing the happenings around her before she gave off another sigh and opened her phone. Her roommate had somehow talked her into creating a Tinder account and even though she knew she would regret it at least it was something to waste her time on. Is it even possible to swipe on Tinder for three hours? _God_, she felt pathetic. As she opened the app she carefully glanced around to make sure no one was paying her any attention. To her relief everyone was busy trying to call whoever needed to know they were going to be late. Sitting back in the couch to relax a bit she looked at the first picture of the first guy. He was blonde, a musician, studying to become a banker. _Pass_. Next one was a redhead, he was working in a store, his favorite hobby was taking long strides at the beach. _Hard pass_. Another blonde popped up, he had a leather jacket on his photos and claimed to having a bike, and even though he looked interesting Kate still couldn't find it in herself to swipe right. _Pass_.

Kate didn't know how many guys she'd passed when suddenly a brown-haired guy with ocean blue eyes stared back at her. He had a careful smile with a glimpse of mischief in his eyes. His profile said he loved reading and that his biggest dream was to succeed as a writer. He actually seemed quite sweet, and even through the screen Kate could tell she would drown in his blue eyes if she stared into them for too long. And for some reason the intimacy, the magnetic field she felt just looking at his pictures scared the hell out of her. _Pass_.

"Ouch! Hard no for that one?" A voice startled her from behind and she flinched, hadn't expected to get caught swiping on Tinder.

Turning around with wide eyes they only widened at the sudden sight of those ocean blues staring right back at her. _Oh, fuck_.

"I-uh, wha-how...uh," she stuttered without knowing exactly what to say. _How did this even happen?_

"I mean, no I completely understand, why would a guy want to be a writer? Who would want to be with someone with such an uncertain future as that. I wouldn't," he said and Kate had a hard time trying to figure out if he was serious or just messing with her. It didn't _look_ like he was offended. "I'm Rick by the way."

The guy reached out his hand and before Kate really knew what she was doing she shook his hand. "Kate," she said as if on autopilot.

"You on your way to New York City too?" he asked and she felt her whole body stiffen. _Who the hell is this guy?_ "Sorry," he suddenly said, shaking his head with a shameful smile. "I'm really observant, _and_ I love coming up with stories to everyone I see. Can't help it, I call it my writer's mind." He tapped a forefinger to his temple and she narrowed her eyes. "I'm too curious for my own good too, nearly got myself arrested just a couple minutes ago trying to see how they would react if I hid a metallic ball in my boxers. Let me tell you, they were _not_ amused," he chuckled and Kate's eyes widened. "And neither are you," he added before scratching his head.

He opened his mouth again, as if to say something more, but stopped himself and turned around to sit down on the couch behind her. Kate didn't know if she should feel relieved or saddened that he gave up. She couldn't help but feel intrigued. Even though she shouldn't it didn't take long before she turned around almost completely in the couch to tap his shoulder with her fingers.

"What made you think I'm going to New York City?"

Rick looked at her with surprised eyes but his lips pulled up in a hopeful smile.

"You swiping on tinder," he said and she furrowed her eyebrows in question. He smiled even more before he turned to sit on his side, most likely to be able to face her with stretching his neck, and she mirrored his position for the same reason. "The way you look, your clothes, posture and all, doesn't fit in with the stereotypical girl who sits on tinder every minute of the day. And so I figured there must be something up with your flight to make tinder worth your time," he pointed up to the chards, "and the flight to New York City is the only flight being delayed for long enough."

"Oh," she hummed. Then all of a sudden another thought hit her. "How long have you been staring at me to make that assumption?"

In her surprise she wasn't all that creeped out. The guy was – what? – two-three years older than her? Also there were a lot of people who would witness if he tried something at the airport. Plus her parents were waiting to hear from her so, really, what had she to worry about?

He shrugged his shoulders. "I looked for an empty couch and found this one, it wasn't until I sat down that I got curious as to what the girl on the other side was doing and so I glanced over my shoulder to ask you what your name was and saw you swipe left on that guy before my own face stared right back at me. I just had to wait to figure out what you would do with my card so I just waited. Took you a while to decide," he observed and she felt her cheeks blush. "Anyway, I'm on my way to New York City too. Wanna pass time together? It'll be much funnier than swiping on tinder, I promise," he smiled big with eyes glimpsing of hopefulness.

Narrowing her eyes again she had a feeling Rick was right. Swiping on tinder wasn't exactly something she was fond on, hell, it wasn't even her idea to create an account! But she still wasn't quite sure on trusting _him_ either. There was something about him that pulled her in. Something about his blue eyes which reminded her of the ocean and the way he seemed so rebel-ish. When it took too long for her to answer he opened his mouth again, a small smirk spreading across his lips.

"I can even try to prove it was the wrong decision to swipe left on me," he wiggled his eyebrows and she narrowed her eyes.

"Challenge accepted," she said with a pull in her own lips.

Rick's face immediately shone with the brightest of smiles and she had to bite her lip to not mirror his expression. Kate watched as he turned in his seat in order to sit facing her, so they sat pretty much in front of each other but on opposite sides of the two couches.

"You want to play twenty question as a start? That way we can learn something about each other that we can continue talking about," he suggested and she shrugged her shoulders.

"Sure, why not."

"Okay, so we already know each other's names. First question, how old are you?" he asked and she felt her heart calm down, hadn't noticed it peaking at the thought of his questions taking on a different kind of theme.

"I'm eighteen, you?"

"Twenty-four," he said and she felt her eyes widen. "Your turn."

"Uh, what are your plans in New York City?" she questioned, thinking it was her chance to see if he was really on his way to the same city as she was.

He smiled and she wondered what he was thinking about. "I'm on my way home to see my mother and my daughter." His blues got a glimpse in them and she wondered if she saw correctly when it looked like pride. "What about you?" his eyes focused on her and she felt her cheeks blush. _For what reason, _she wasn't sure.

"Also on my way home, me, my mom and dad have a small tradition that I'll go home after every exam to celebrate it's over."

"Exams, huh? What major?" he questioned and she put a small stray of hair behind her ear to create some time for herself to think.

"Law," she eventually said and he hummed with a curious tone. "And you?"

"Oh, I'm not in school, I'm actually working on pursuing my dream. I've just been to a meeting about my first book perhaps getting published."

"Oh?" Kate felt herself getting intrigued, her interest peaking at the guy actually seeming to genuinely like books. She'd found many guys saying they liked books but when she asked them about a favorite book they very rarely had one, either that or they said some long lost childhood book they had to read in class or something.

"Yeah, _In a hail of bullets,_" he revealed in a hushed voice and she wondered if he was allowed to. "At least that's what I named it for now." He shrugged his shoulders with a smile plastered onto his lips.

Kate bit her lip as she could only think of a question she knew she wouldn't be able to answer herself, but she _had_ to know. "You said daughter, you have a daughter?"

She could immediately see his cheeks turn a pink-ish color as he looked down at his knees. She noticed his breathing turn into a sigh-like deep breathing before he ran his hand through his thick brown hair and looked up at her again. His eyes looked as if they were both hurt and proud. _Why?_

"Yeah, I do. She's two, and I would never call her a mistake, she was unplanned though. The mother was my girlfriend at the time but it was never meant to work between her and me. I still love Alexis with all my heart and after almost no fight at all I got custody over her since Meredith was more interesting in her career than in being a mother." He said it as if it was practiced, as if he'd said it hundreds of times before.

Kate hummed in understanding, gave him a small smile since he looked afraid. _Afraid of what?_ She couldn't fathom why he would be afraid. Since she didn't want him to be more insecure than he already seemed about continuing to talk she decided to give him her answer, light up the mood again.

"Well, I don't have a daughter, nor a son at the moment, and I don't really plan on getting pregnant for the next couple years either. Your turn," she offered and his small smile turned bigger along with a sigh of... _relief?_

"What's your favorite movie?" he questioned and she put her head in her hand.

"I don't know, don't really have one."

His eyes widened. "You don't have a favorite movie?!"

"No, I enjoy a good John Woo film but I don't really have a favorite."

"_You_ like John Woo?!" his eyes only widened and Kate couldn't stop the chuckle from slipping past her lips at his ridiculous shock.

"Yeah, the bloodier the better," she said with a shrug and she could swear his eyes would've popped out if it was possible.

"Damn that's hot," he muttered and she raised an eyebrow at him. "Nothing." He shook his head before he answered his own question. "My favorite movie is... either a James Bond movie or Karate Kid."

"Hmm," she tried to come up with the next question. With lack of something better to ask she just went with, "How come you created a tinder?"

"Well, I don't really get out that much with my daughter being so little but I can't help but want to get back out there again. However I haven't actually met anyone yet, every time I get a match I back out because I'm not sure anyone is good enough for my daughter." He glanced to her and something changed in his eyes. "Sorry, I just..."

"Don't worry about it, I completely understand," Kate immediately assured him. It wasn't like he wanted any girl around his baby, if it were her she probably wouldn't be able to get past that fact either.

He let out a long sigh before he met her eyes again and she stared into those blues. "What about you? Like I said, you don't look like the stereotypical tinder user."

"Oh, my roommate forced me, she thinks I'm too uninterested in dating for my own good," Kate rolled her eyes thinking of her friend's constant reminders of her lack of romance.

Rick chuckled and Kate couldn't help but smile at the warmth spreading through her body.

"Okay, so my turn," he said and she could tell he needed some time to think of a new question so she just stayed quiet.

Couldn't help but let her eyes roam though. His blue eyes weren't the only thing that was kind of hypnotic about him. His thick hair had her fingers twitching in the want to touch. His facial features were definitely making him look handsome and there was no doubt he was taking care of his body. The dark blue shirt he was wearing hugged his body tight enough for her to be able to make out his big biceps, and also spot his belly was fit. The blue also made his eyes pop more and she couldn't help but secretly enjoy the view.

"Do you do any sport?" he asked, bringing her back to the now and she stopped ogling.

"Eh, no, not really. I go to the gym though," she said and his lips pulled up in a curious smile.

"Really? Me too, what kind of workout do you usually do?" he continued and she decided to ignore it was actually her turn, thought it didn't matter that much anymore who's turn it was.

"I run, pushups, sit-ups, yoga and boxes," Kate shrugged her shoulders.

"Ooh, you ever spar?"

Kate let go of a chuckle. "That's three questions." She gave him a narrowed look but the smile didn't want to leave and so it had her pursing her lips.

"Right," he facepalmed himself and Kate couldn't stop the light laugh from escaping her mouth. "Go ahead." He waved his hand in front of him as if to say 'after you' and she found it quite adorable in a funny way.

"Hmm, where's your favorite place in the world?" she finally asked.

To her surprise he shrugged his shoulders. "Wherever my daughter is." After a beat of silence he gets a small grin on his face. "That sounded so cheesy, but it's the truth."

She felt her heart squeeze at the warm look in his blues. She figured it must be pure love, that kind of love you can only feel for your kid. And she couldn't help but feel the little bit jealous that he already got to experience that feeling, even though she's _never_ even _considered_ having a kid in her teens. It was way too young. But someday she wanted kids, _someday in the far future_ that is.

"What about you?" he dragged her out of her thoughts and she ran her hand through her hair.

"My family's cabin. It's out in the woods and it's so peaceful there that I can completely lose all sense of stress and responsibilities." Kate hadn't exactly thought of telling him more than a simple 'our cabin' but somehow she ended up telling why too. She couldn't quite figure out what had done it but she had a feeling it was due to the honesty his blues kept tinkering with.

"I can imagine, that's the kinds of places I love to visit when I search inspiration for the scenes I write," he said with a dreamy tone.

"What's your book about? The one that's about to get published?" she questioned and he pursed his lips.

"It's not completely finished yet if it will get published, they seem hopeful but I haven't exactly been offered a contract just yet so if you don't mind I can't really answer that one," he said along with an apology but she just waved it off with her hand literally doing a small wave in the air.

"Don't worry about it, I understand." Because she did. It was most likely a 'need to know'-basis right now and who was she and how could he trust a girl he'd just met? It was completely understandable.

"So, as a counter question I'll go back to my previous added question, do you ever spar?" he asked and she felt her cheeks warm up for some reason.

"Uhm, I've thought of it yeah, but I've never found anyone I wanted to spar with."

It was as though his whole being lit up, his back straightening as his lips pulled apart, a grin big enough to show his perfect teeth. "I'll do it."

She felt her eyes widen as her heart skipped a beat. Images of him in shorts and a sport-shirt flew into her mind, the two of them sparring and taking turns being the one with the upper hand. She had a feeling he would be able to tackle her though, and the thought of him straddling her hips... _was it getting hot in the airport?_

"Your turn," his statement interrupted her thoughts and she tried to shake her head as discretely as possible as she tried to collect her thoughts.

As soon as she could come up with a new question she let it flow out of her mouth, the question having to do with his parents, and they kept on chatting until it was suddenly announced it was time to board the plane. Kate had never thought she would've been able to kick it off so well with a complete stranger at an airport but it actually felt kind of sad they wouldn't have more time. Rick suggested they'd ask the passengers sitting beside them on the airplane if they would switch seats in order to sit next to each other but to their small disappointment both of their seat buddies weren't interested. Kate didn't blame them though, it wasn't like she could. It still had her heart sinking a bit and she wasn't sure how it was possible for a guy to nestle his way into her life so simply. She'd never been the one to open up to strangers but during the last three hours she'd had an extraordinary great time chatting with Rick Castle.

They'd exchanged numbers before they boarded the plane, decided they would try meet up for coffee at least once before Kate had to fly back to college. She wasn't able to catch a sight of him before she called her parents once they landed in New York and since her parents were all about keeping in contact to make sure nothing happened to her they stayed with her on the phone throughout the whole taxi drive home. After she got home and they had hugged each other she got offered some leftovers before she retreated to her bedroom, feeling the exhaustion from the day taking over her body.

As her mom and dad told her goodnight she walked up the stairs to her room saying she was happy to be home again, said she loved them before shutting her door to her bedroom. Changing out of her clothes and slumping into the mattress of her bed was the most satisfying feeling she'd had in a couple weeks, the stress from the exams finally wearing off. Before she happened to fall asleep though she heard her phone vibrate with an incoming text. She considered letting it be but wiggled herself closer to her nightstand in order to snatch her phone, her eyes almost closed as she glanced at the notification.

_*Hi, I know it's late but I just wanted to say I meant what I said. I would love to meet up before you fly out again. Either for a coffee or for a sparring session, I don't care what we do. Anyway, sleep tight Kate. /Rick Castle*_

Kate couldn't stop the heating of her cheeks or the way her lips pulled up in a smile, she would love to meet up with him too. _Soon_.

* * *

Kate Beckett felt all giddy inside as she waited patiently outside the building they'd set up as their place to meet. She hadn't told her parents the real story and the rebel inside her was grinning way too wildly for her own liking. All her mom and dad knew was that she was going out for a run, they had no idea she was going to meet up a friend too. _A friend she'd only met once_. Still, she considered him a friend already, because they had texted nonstop since the airport. Even her mom had pointed out she was unusually attached to her phone, had even asked if she had a secret boyfriend in a teasing tone Kate disliked more than anything. The worst part was the way her cheeks flamed hot every time a subject like that arose, probably had something to do with the disturbingly steamy dreams her mind kept conjuring up about him touching her in places she hadn't been caressed in a long time.

"Hey!" The sudden sound of his voice by her ear had her whipping around to meet his ocean blue eyes.

She'd almost thought to ocean blues had been a part of her fantasy but looking straight into them now had her heart skipping a beat. _Fuck_.

"Hi," she answered and was both surprised and happy when he pulled her into a greeting hug.

"So, you ready for me to kick your butt?" he asked and she rolled her eyes, her smile bright.

"In your dreams."

She beat him to the door of the gym and glanced behind to see him watching her with eyes roaming her back as he followed her. Her insides tingled with excitement and she wondered how the hell she'd agreed to do a sparring session with him. She would _so_ not survive this.

It didn't take long before she had him down on the mat, she simply tripped him though. Still standing she looked down at him with a smirk on her pursing lips as she tried to keep in the laughter bubbling inside her.

"I let you do that," he teased and she couldn't stop the laughter anymore.

"Yeah, right." She held out a hand and he took it, accepting the help up on his feet, before he let go again and said he was ready to go again.

They twirled around for a couple minutes, none of them really getting the other down, before he managed to trip her and she landed on her back. She still smiled and laughed though, it felt great meeting someone who seemed to be at the same level as her. He helped her up and they went for another go. That's how it continued, her tripping him, him tripping her, for about forty minutes. Kate had the time of her life, laughing at him, laughing with him, as they kept on sparring for the win. When she had once again tripped him she laughed as he took deep breaths to steady his breathing. She panted too as she held out her hand to him and let go of a small scream when he, instead of accepting her help up, pulled her down to overpower her. He put his body onto hers to push her down as he grinned at her with self-satisfaction.

To her own surprise she just laughed, her mind running around with all the places his body was touching hers. He was halfway on top of her, which meant one of his thighs were in between hers as his upper body was lined up with hers, his face dangerously close. When she looked into his blue eyes she could see how amazingly happy he was and her insides flipped at the sudden arousal heating her up. Their laughter slowly died down to chuckles as she watched his blues darken with the lust she was certain she mirrored in her own eyes. She bit her lower lip and saw him glance down to it, his eyes immediately snapping back up to hers as if he was asking permission. Without thinking she rose her hand to tangle her fingers into his soft brown hair, pulling him down to nudge his lips with hers. It got the exact reaction she'd wanted it to and he pushed his lips into hers as he started kissing her with a fever she hadn't experienced before. His tongue carefully nudged her lips apart and when his taste filled her mouth she couldn't stop the moan from escaping her lips. She felt his thigh rise higher and before she knew what she was doing she was moving her hips in a grind to feel some friction. His hand suddenly landed on her hip, his fingers touching the exposed skin from where her shirt had scrunched up when landing on her back, and she shivered. It felt so much more _intense_ than she'd ever experienced before. _Maybe it's the thrill of getting caught_. Her brain teased her and she immediately remembered where they were and that people could most likely watch them.

"Wait," she said against his lips, slowly pulling away as she stopped moving her hips.

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized instantly. His tone indicating he thought he was imposing, thought she didn't want to... "I should've-"

"No, not no," she panted as she shivered at the small caress his thumb did at her hip. "I want to, but not here."

Kate watched as Rick's eyes went wide before he started pulling away, looking around. "Right," he said as he ran a hand through his hair and she couldn't stop the sting of jealousy when she thought of _her_ hand running through his hair.

He reached out his hand and she immediately accepted it, sitting up in front of him once he pulled her up. As they caught up with their breathing both of them looked around, trying to decide whether someone had seen their intense make out session. Kate let go of a sigh of relief when she came to the conclusion no one had.

"Do you-uh, do you wanna keep sparring?" Rick asked and she met his eyes.

"No," she said certain. "But I don't want to part either," she added and his eyes lit up with a smile on his lips.

He got up on his feet and reached out his hand again. When she'd gotten up on her own feet she couldn't help but stand on her toes to peck his lips again. _Fuck, _it felt good. The tingles spreading on her skin... she was a total lost cause.

"So, what do you want to do then?" he asked and she pursed her lips, biting her lower one.

"I think you can figure out what I want to do," she teased with a low sultry voice, seeing the immediate reaction it had on him made her heart beat faster. "But my parents are home, and I'm guessing so are your daughter and mother?" she said with a sadder tone.

His smile faded as he nodded. "It's times like this I wish my mother had her own place where she could watch Alexis," he grunted and she couldn't help but chuckle at the roll his eyes made.

"Come on, let's get out of here," she grabbed his hand and pulled him with her as she started walking towards the exit of the gym.

"Where are we going?" he asked but didn't hesitate to follow her, even tangled their fingers together.

"Surprise," she teased and bumped her shoulder into his.

**_To Be Continued..._**

* * *

**_A/N_**:_ So, since this got so long, and I don't feel finished with it, plus I made a poll on twitter asking your opinions, I'm going to turn this into a two-shot. HOWEVER I have no clue as to when I'll be able to write the second chapter, so I have no clue as to how long it'll take until you get the second chapter, sorry. But at least you got a loooong first chapter earlier than if I would wait to publish until I was done with the second. SO, hope you enjoyed and can wait for the second (might publish _Less is more_ chapters in between, idk). Anyway, until next time, xxxx_


	2. Chapter 2

Kate hadn't really taken him some place that could be considered a _big_ surprise but when they got to the trees and bushes she'd steered him to, his eyes widened as she'd looked around to make sure no one saw them before she sneaked in through the bushes. He didn't hesitate to follow her and she loved the full on shock entering his face as he realized the high bushes and trees had hidden a big enough opening to have as a small picnic rendezvous spot. It hadn't taken long before he'd started questioning her as to how she'd found the spot and who else knew about it. She'd kept it down as she gave her answers, knowing that if they talked too loud anyone who walked past the bushes would be able to hear them.

"So, you never showed this place to anyone else?" he asked and she shook her head. "Not even an old... boyfriend?" His tone got shy and she bit her lower lip, remembering the tingling it'd gotten when they'd kissed earlier.

"No," she pursed her lips.

He hummed with an intrigued tone as he leaned just the slightest bit closer. It took her no more than two seconds to lean the rest of the way with her hands gently cupping his cheeks right before kissing his lips. The kiss was softer than she thought was possible and she could feel the surprise was mutual in the way he was moving his lips against hers. Carefully they parted but Kate found herself wiggling her body closer to his, their knees now touching. Rick's hands slid across his legs to find hers, his fingers tickling her as they traced circles in her palms.

"When are you going back to college?" he asked with a low voice and she bit her still tingling lower lip.

"I gotta go back in five days." She looked down at their hands. Couldn't quite understand the sadness that suddenly overcame her, the feeling of not wanting to let this go. Not wanting to leave _him_.

"Oh." He sounded just as disappointed as she felt and she once again couldn't quite figure out why. It wasn't like they had known each other for long. "Have you planned when you're coming home again?"

"Won't be until the summer," she told him and he nodded.

His fingers kept on stroking her open palms and she felt the tingles move through her veins, her mind filling up with the things he could make her feel. She quickly considered making a move but having no clue as to how high he was able to take her there would be a risk of people hearing them and she _truly_ wasn't interested in explaining to her parents why the cops arrested her for having sex in a public place. _Especially_ since she told them she was going to the gym and hadn't even mentioned a workout friend. _Speaking of which_, she'd been gone for a bit longer than she usually was when she went to a workout.

"I-ah, need to go home." She carefully pulled her hands away but only to gently cup his face again and lean in to kiss his lips one last time before she got onto her knees and started to crawl out of there.

She made sure to look around before she slipped out of the bushes in order to see if other people around would see them sneaking out. Rick was right behind her and when she started to brush off the dirt on her knees his hands landed on her hips. He twirled her around and she started chuckling at the surprise she felt as he crashed his lips onto hers. His hands stayed on her hips, pulling her closer to him and she didn't hesitate to lay her arms around his neck as she parted her lips to meet his tongue with hers. _Fuck_, it felt so good kissing him, Kate didn't know what to do. She wanted to stay there, keep on kissing him for minutes, _hours_, but she knew she couldn't. They didn't stop kissing until they felt the need of air being too big to ignore though.

"I don't want this day to end," he breathed out and she couldn't other but agree in a hum. "Will you have dinner with me before you go?"

The question felt completely out of the blue but at the same time not surprising. With her nose still bumping his and their breaths being a mix between them she nodded slightly.

"Then it's a date?" he more asked than stated and she felt her cheeks blush as she opened her eyes to look straight into his blues, drowning.

"Yes, it's a date," she agreed and their lips pulled up in mirroring grins.

* * *

Kate felt sad about leaving. The five days had gone quicker than she'd expected and she'd managed to meet up with Rick for three of those days, one being a dinner while the other two had been during the days when her parents didn't really care if she was out meeting friends or at the gym. They'd shared a couple intimate touches, kisses, but never gone further due to no privacy. Kate tried to imagine it was also due to the both of them being patient enough to wait until they knew each other deeper, but truth was they wouldn't have been able to keep their hands to themselves if they'd gotten a chance at more.

"What's wrong Katie?" her mom asked, bringing her back to the airport where she was currently standing in the wait of saying goodbye and going through the checkpoint.

"Oh," she shook her head, put on a smile and met the eyes she knew looked the same as hers. "Nothing, just sad I have to go back to college and leave you guys." It wasn't a _total_ lie.

"You sure it's _us_ you're gonna miss?" The look her mom had on her face made Kate's heart quicken and she shook her head no a little too fast for it to be convincing.

"No."

_How the hell did she find out?_ Kate tried to remember every time she'd said she was going out. She hadn't even mentioned a guy friend. Not even once. _What if she saw the texts?_ What if she saw _the_ texts. _Oh, god_.

"Okay then, safe flight honey," her mom said, pulling her in to a tight hug.

As soon as she let go her dad hugged her as well, wishing a safe flight and to call as soon as she landed. Kate didn't even argue, promised she would call because she knew her parents would worry otherwise. Once she was waiting at her gate she felt her phone vibrate and noticed the text he's sent.

*_Have a safe flight Kate! Let me know if you want to talk tonight, I'd love to hear your voice before bed. RC_*

Kate blushed a bit at the sweet text, quickly sending one back saying she'd definitely let him know when he could call and that she looked forward to hearing his voice too. Inside her mind was a small voice that kept yelling no matter how much she tried to ignore it and push it down. Because she was kind of afraid the voice was right. _You're falling in love with him_.

* * *

Kate talked to Rick almost every day when she was back at college. The days she didn't were ones that either she fell asleep before they could call due to stress or too much school work, or him having struggles with Alexis or writing. Kate's roommate wouldn't stop bragging about what a genius she'd been to force Kate onto the app that started it all, didn't stop teasing her about how smitten she was either. Kate could tell her roommate was slightly jealous though, _and_ irritated. When Kate and Rick talked for too late at night her roommate would very determinedly say goodnight and ask Kate to keep it down so she wouldn't fall behind on her sleep. It was times like that Kate was relieved she and her roommate didn't _actually_ share rooms, only apartment, which meant they had one bedroom each.

Weeks went by and Kate could tell by the tone in Rick's voice that he missed her as much as she missed him. In secret Kate had downloaded one of those apps telling how many days it would be until a certain date came and she'd entered the date she would go back to New York City, eager to see him again. It was currently 43 days left.

"What are you sighing for?" her roommate, Maddie, asked and Kate's eyes snapped to the blonde.

She'd been sighing? _Oh_. "Nothing, I'm just tired." Kate shrugged, faking a yawn.

Maddie shrugged her shoulders and turned back her head to her school books. They had chosen to sit down at the same table to help each other study, it was always a bit easier to have a study partner. They didn't exactly study the same subject but simply knowing they weren't alone with a bunch of work helped quite a lot more than any of them had figured in the beginning of their semester.

"Nope, I give up," Maddie said after another hour had gone by, pushing her books away from her in a rebellious way. "You wanna watch a movie?"

Kate was just about to answer that, sure, she could watch a movie, but she didn't do more than open her mouth before her phone was ringing.

"Lover boy?" Maddie said with the biggest, sneakiest grin Kate had seen traces of for the past few weeks.

Kate's cheeks blushed and she glared at her friend. "I really wish you would stop calling him that."

"Why? Because you blush?" the blonde laughed lightly as Kate stuck out her tongue. "You better answer before it goes to voicemail."

Kate rolled her eyes before she quickly raised from the table in order to walk into her room, she didn't need Maddie to spy on her conversation with the guy that kept giving her chills and butterflies.

"Hey Rick," she answered the phone the second she was behind closed doors, a giddy smile pulling her lips.

"So, I was thinking," he started and she chuckled at the casual tone his voice held. "What would you do if I couldn't wait to see you anymore?"

"Rick, you know I can't take time off," she said in a sad tone. It was ridiculous how badly you could miss someone you've only met a couple times.

It was quiet for a couple seconds before his voice, lower than usual, carefully sounding through the phone. "What if I came to you?"

Kate felt her eyes widen at the suggestion she hadn't even considered. _He had a daughter_. He couldn't just leave, could he? "What?"

She could hear the insecurity in his inhale as he opened his mouth again. "What would you do if I stood outside your door?"

"Are you..." Kate stepped away from her door, where her back had been leant against, and turned around to quickly open it.

Rick was quiet in the other end of the call and she distantly heard her roommate asking her what she was doing when she walked through their living room towards the door. Kate didn't pay any attention, simply kept her pace direct and fast until she reached the door, unlocked it and pulled it open. Her full body fell into shock as she found herself standing face to face with the guy who had taken over her dreams for the last couple months. He was holding his phone against his ear but seeing her made him end the call and drop it into his pocket.

"Hi," he waved carefully and it took a second before she realized he was actually there. Without really thinking she launched herself forward, putting her arms around his neck as she crashed her lips onto his.

She had no idea what got into her but seeing him just simply had her wanting to feel his lips to ensure he was real. _He was_. _God, yes,_ he was really there. And there was no stopping the moan rumbling her throat as his taste filled her mouth when they parted their lips simultaneously. Their kiss slowed down then and they pulled apart with their foreheads still touching in order to get some air into their lungs.

"Thank god you didn't slap me," Rick muttered and Kate laughed at that, could totally see herself doing something like that due to him showing up with no warning or whatsoever. Honestly, she was just feeling the happiest at that moment.

"Oooh is this him?" A voice interrupted them from behind and Kate silently cursed her roommate in her mind.

She pecked his lips one more time before pulling away from him to grab his hand and lead him inside their apartment.

"Maddie, this is Rick. Rick, this is my roommate Maddie," Kate did the introductions in hopes of getting it over with fast.

"So, you're the person to go if I wanna hear juicy details of Kate's college life," Rick said with a teasing glance to her, which made her narrow her eyes at him.

"Sorry, afraid not. Her secrets are safe with me," Maddie said with a shrug as she shook his hand.

Rick just chuckled with a smile gleaming back at Kate. "Oh well, too bad."

They only chatted for a couple more minutes before Maddie excused herself, saying it was late and that she needed to study more. Kate knew her roommate was lying but didn't care correcting her, she wanted to be alone with her... boyfriend? and had no problem with Maddie lying to take herself out of the picture. How did she know her roommate was lying? Because it was Saturday, and Maddie never, _ever_, went to bed earlier than 11pm on weekends, especially not for studying the day after.

"So, uh, do you want to... see my room?" Kate asked in a hushed voice, thinking it was better if they continued their conversation in there. If they were in her bedroom her roommate wouldn't be able to eavesdrop no matter how hard she'd try.

"I'd love to!" he said with wide, excited eyes and she couldn't help but narrow her own. Didn't take long before he was giving her a look. "Not like that, seeing your room will let me learn more things about you."

She smirked, biting her lower lip making it purse in the process. She raised from the armchair she'd been seated in and turned away from him in order to set her steps towards her bedroom.

"By the way, I'm sorry for not giving you any heads-up, I wanted it to be a surprise," Rick said as they entered and closed the door after him. "I know I should've told you, or at least given you a hint, but I just couldn't wait to see you again."

Kate looked at him and didn't hide the smile plastered on her lips. Carefully she reached for his hand and pulled him closer in order to sit down on the bed, bringing her feet up with her in order to sit with her legs crossed. "A heads-up would've been nice yeah," she agreed as he pulled up his feet to mirror her position. "But I-uh," she looked down at her hands in her lap. "I can't deny I've thought the same."

She felt her cheeks heat up with the blush blossoming on her skin. She can't really believe herself, she'd gotten so soft and so... _not her _since she met him. Normally she didn't get flutters in her stomach every time she talked to another person, she'd never been this _girly_ before. She'd found herself blushing from his words in her ear at night, and she wondered what made him so special. _Why was he able to make _her_ feel so special?_

"So, does that mean I can sleep here?" he asked with a goofy grin smiling at her.

"Depends, will you keep track of your hands?" she teased back and his smile turned bigger.

"Well, I could _try_," he winked and she started laughing, punching his arm lightly which only made him chuckle as well.

After they had both calmed down a bit Kate asked if he had stuff with him, things like a toothbrush and perhaps pajamas. He did have a toothbrush, but to her small surprise he hadn't packed any pjs, asked if it was okay he just slept in his t-shirt and his boxers. She tried so hard to ignore the thoughts and the igniting she felt in the pit of her belly. She shouldn't be having _those_ thoughts, not like this. _Then again they were alone for once_.

"I'm done in the bathroom, you can go ahead."

It didn't take long for Rick to switch places with her and while he was in there she thought about sleeping arrangements. _Did she mind sleeping in the same bed as him?_ She thought about it for no more than two seconds before her mind stated that, _no_, she did not mind at all. Which was why she started making the bed, making sure there was a pillow for them each and that her cover would be able to cover them both without problems. _Unless he's a cover-stealer_. She shook her head, she would find out soon anyway.

"So, where do you want me? I'm completely fine with sleeping on the floor if that's where you want me," he stated as he came out of the bathroom and she scoffed.

"Of course not, you'll just sleep next to me in be..." Her sentence dropped when she turned around and was staring at a less-clothed Rick than she'd been prepared to. Sure, he was indeed wearing both boxers and a t-shirt, but she'd not expected him to get rid of his pants until they were going to lay down in bed.

"Cat caught your tongue? Or were you just too distracted by my hotness?" he teased with a smirk playing at his lips and she immediately narrowed her eyes at him.

"No!" she said, a little too fast and too stern to be believable. "I just... remembered something."

"You're cute when you blush," he said and she felt her cheeks get even warmer. "So, the bed you said. I assume that means we'll share it?" His voice turned serious and she could see he was both grateful and a bit nervous.

"Yes, we'll share it. It's big enough for the both of us, don't you think?" she tried to ignore the flips in her belly and tried to sound as casual as possible.

He nodded and asked what side she usually slept at. Without another word they laid down under the covers, both of them on their backs, staring up at the ceiling. Kate could feel her heart freaking out a bit, beating hard against her chest as she tried to ignore the fact that she was in the same bed as the guy who she'd dreamed many steamy things about the last couple of weeks. It was the kind of dreams that had her waking in want, _need_, to find release. It might also have been one of those dreams that had encouraged her to write one of those messages to him, those messages that got a little bolder for each message sent and received. Then again, they'd already sent a couple risky texts before she left New York City, not _that_ risky though.

"It feels so unreal," he suddenly interrupted her thoughts and she turned her head to look at him.

"What does?"

"Finally being next to you." He turned onto his side in order to face her, his blue eyes looking straight into hers. "I can finally see your gorgeous eyes again, see that smile on your lips, witness the sweet blush on your cheeks. It makes my heart beat faster. Here, feel," before she knew what was happening he'd grabbed one of her hands and put it right over his heartbeat under the covers.

His heart did indeed beat fast. Actually, she started to wonder if it wasn't even beating in the same rhythm as hers. _Felt like it_. Gently he let go of her hand but she didn't move it, didn't want to move it now that she could feel him under her fingertips. His hand found its way to her cheek though, and she couldn't stop the way she leaned into it. There was no way she could deny the tingles shooting down her veins either. As she looked into his eyes she could tell he felt something too. His eyes followed his thumb as it slowly travelled towards her lower lip, tracing it in a soothe, and arousing, matter. He looked into her eyes again and she felt the small need to bite her lip, in order to keep herself in control, but she couldn't due to his thumb carefully bending her lip down.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked and she felt her lips twitch with the smile threatening to break out.

All it took was a simple, small, nod from her and he leaned closer to kiss her lips with his. It started out as soft, simple, caresses but as soon as he asked permission with his tongue and his taste started filling her mouth she didn't stop herself from deepening the kiss. It quickly turned frantic and she felt her insides shout in joy when his body moved on top of hers, pushing hers into the mattress. One of his legs moved in between her thighs and it all reminded her of that day in the sparring session when it all had truly began. This time they were alone though, which meant no need to stop. And so they didn't stop.

* * *

They spent the next few nights like that. Alone, tongues in a constant dance, touching and being one with each other's bodies. Then he had to go home again. After all he did have a little girl at home. He said he wanted her to meet his daughter the next time they were in New York City, and she promised that she would. It frightened her how easily she could promise something like that, since she'd always held her heart safe from anyone other than her parents, but at the same time it felt different with him somehow. She didn't feel as though there were any risks about them not getting along, didn't feel like it could end that easily between them. And so she felt confident about them still being together the next time she flew to her parents. Which now was in 39 days. _God, she couldn't wait._

* * *

_**A/N**: Hey, sorry for the long delay but I've been having a hard time trying to finish this one. I'm not even sure if I can continue it from here. I have another fanfic I'm working on right now though, which might be why this one is less attractive for me right now. I'll probably finish that one before I can decide whether to write more on this one or not. At the same time I felt like I couldn't leave you hanging longer on this one which is why I've wrapped it up a bit at the end and posting it today. Hope you all are good. Until next time, xxxx_


End file.
